Drug Security: PSN Seeks More Investment In Petrochemical Industry

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has tasked the federal government on the provision of functional petrochemical industry to achieve self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

PSN president, Professor Cyril Usifoh, who spoke at the 95th annual conference of the PSN in Jos, Plateau State, emphasised on the need to encourage the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), excipients and equivalents, as well as packaging materials in efforts to attain medicine sufficiency and security and enhance the nation’s GDP through local manufacturing of drugs.

He challenged the presidential candidates of the political parties for the forthcoming general elections to begin to look at how to fast-track new but substantial investments in healthcare.

Usifoh expressed PSN’s gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Pharmacy Bill, describing it as a landmark.

He said that new Pharmacy Act will redress the intractable fake drug syndrome in the country. “The Act has the propensities to restore normalcy to our indecorous drug distribution channels which have made Nigeria famous for the fake drug syndrome,’’ he said.

Usifoh called for adequate funding of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN)  and other agencies that regulate the drug distribution channels, especially NAFDAC and NDLEA.

He reiterated the need to sustain audit trails of drug distribution from manufacturers and importers to distributors, retailers, patent medicine vendors and hospitals in the public and private sectors.

“Once we begin to monitor and control the value chain in drug distribution endeavours, then our journey to fulfillment commences,” he added.